Cleveland Rocks!

Bill and I just returned from a little getaway to Cleveland. We had such a great time together. We don't often go without at least one or both of the kids in tow so this was especially nice for an old married couple like us. Both Grace and Dan were busy and chose not to go so Dan played babysitter. He and Grace got along just fine. They actually do like one another! MOST of the time! Oh, and they kept the pets alive and well which is an added plus! *smirk*

We stayed in a hotel downtown and wow! It was absolutely gorgeous! I love that Cleveland has preserved their older buildings and this hotel is in one such place. Housed in the old Cleveland National Bank building, it has been rehabbed without losing one whit of it's delicious charm!

Our room was huge! The ceilings were 15 feet tall and we had a small sitting area with the TV, a kitchenette and a large bath. The refinished hardwood floors were beautiful!

Isn't this lobby something?

The ceilings were nothing short of glorious!

Oh did I do a happy dance when I saw these old elevators. This made me so happy!

And yes! I am a geek! *smile*

Just some incredibly beautiful architecture in the downtown area...

Many beautiful churches...

...and Official City buildings.

And their downtown parks are numerous and what wonderful art work...

Then down to the lakeshore...

...where you will find the "Dawg Pound"...

...and a little place called The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame!

No photos allowed beyond the lobby area but believe me...

...the museum is fabulous! We had the best time just looking and listening and reading...

and yup. We got to be there for the big Springsteen event...the opening of the "From Asbury Park to the Promised Land" exhibit. It was incredible.

And your tour is not yet over! Tomorrow I will share with you our visit to the "A Christmas Story" House and Museum, as well as take you along while we dine at a restaurant we saw on "Diners, Dive Ins and Dives" with Guy Fieri. Oh what a great time we had at Geraci's!

More on those tomorrow...

Wishing all of you a sweet, sweet week.

Much love!

Springsteen Saturday Night

The next several posts will be about our Saturday night with The Boss! If you wish to hear the videos below, just press the mute button on the music player. Of course, The E Street Band is wonderfully loud so it may well drown out the lovely New York Philharmonic strings anyhoo! Here is a review from Ron Rollins of the Dayton Daily:

Springsteen in Cincinnati, March 22

By Ron Rollins | Sunday, March 23, 2008, 09:56 AM

There were a couple of nice surprises at Bruce Springsteen’s US Bank Arena show Saturday night, including a version of “Lost in the Flood,” from his earliest days and which he doesn’t perform very often.

The initial reports on the show on the irritatingly complete fansite http://www.backstreets.com assessed the concert as a disappointment … judged mostly from the pacing and speed with which Bruce tore through some of the songs. One fan called the show “perfunctory.”

Maybe, but I think you’d have to be a hardest of hardcore to feel that way. The crowd was very into it, and was appreciative of Springsteen’s efforts — which, while they aren’t what they were when the guy was a bit more spry, were more than satisfying in my book.

Springsteen mixed up the set list as he’s known to do, bringing in good stuff from all through his varied career, and reminding one and all just how much material he has to choose from. From the heavy guitar clang of “Radio Nowhere,” off his newest CD, “Magic,” to the cool-as-ice, jazzy jam of the oldie “Kitty’s Back,” with tons of good stuff sandwiched in between, he and the deservedly fabled E Streeters put on a great show.

Hey! Yours truly stumbled into some tix for the Columbus show on Monday, so I’ll bring in another report.

Here, meanwhile, is the Cincy setlist, courtesy of backstreets:

Darlington County

Radio Nowhere

Lonesome Day

Gypsy Biker

Magic

Reason to Believe

Candy’s Room

Prove It All Night

She’s the One

Livin’ in the Future

The Promised Land

Be True

Lost in the Flood

Devil’s Arcade

The Rising

Last to Die

Long Walk Home

Badlands

---

Glory Days

Born to Run

Dancing in the Dark

American Land

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Kitty’s Back

We had a wonderful Saturday night thanks to my brother and sis in law. On Christmas they gave us Springsteen concert tickets and a gift certificate to The Hofbrauhaus , a restaurant just over the state line into Kentucky at "Newport on the Levee". We enjoyed a delicious dinner, traditional German music and just being by ourselves for a change! It was like being 20 and on a date again! Okay, except for the bad knees and the extra weight...so it was ALMOST like being 20 again. Baby, I was "born to run"! Then it was onto the US Bank Arena to see Bruce Springsteen and the *Original * E Street Band! The crowd was the best I have ever seen at a concert. No wild partying, no drunks, no smoking. Just thousands of happy people there to hear fantastic music and see one of the greatest bands ever. Bruce is 58 years old and the guy can still do it all. Am I gushing? Super concert and a sweet night with my darlin' husband. I have lots of pictures from the rest of our Easter weekend to share. I also have some from last week...and such a busy week it was! From "Lord of the Dance" to "The Boss", it was 7 days of music, dance and good food. Happy smiles and a blissfully happy Susie Q. One for the books. I hope your weekend was a sweet one too. I will be hopping by to visit soon! Until then, stay well and be good to yourself!

Love and Hugs, Susie Q

One Of The Best Moments Of The Night!

Don't forget to mute the music player if you want to hear this video! It was a sweet moment!

Where We Were Saturday Night!

I was tryin' to find my way home But all I heard was a drone Bouncing off a satellite Crushin' the last lone American night This is radio nowhere, is there anybody alive out there? This is radio nowhere, is there anybody alive out there?

~Radio Nowhere by Bruce Springsteen